The present invention relates to a process for the conversion of boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex into boron trifluoride dialkyl ether complex, substantially free of boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex. The present invention more particularly relates to a process for the conversion of boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex to boron trifluoride diethyl ether complex, substantially free of dimethyl ether impurities.
Boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex is used in industry to prepare, by means of enrichment and fractionation procedures, a boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex fraction that is rich in the boron-10 isotope. The boron-10-enriched boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex fraction is then converted to elemental boron-10 which is subsequently used as a neutron moderator in nuclear applications. In the course of the fractionation process to produce the boron-10-enriched boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex fraction, approximately 80 percent of the starting reactant boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex remains as effluent, i.e. a boron-11 isotope-rich, boron-10 isotope-free, boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex, which is presently decomposed and dissolved. Such boron-10 isotope-free boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex reactant disposal is expensive, and involves the waste of a potentially valuable source material. Therefore, it is considered commercially significant to reclaim the boron-10-isotope-depleted boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex by means of its subsequent conversion to the boron trifluoride diethyl ether complex.
The boron trifluoride dialkyl ether complexes, for example boron trifluoride diethyl ether complex, further have important commercial and industrial uses as catalysts in numerous acetylation, alkylation, polymerization, dehydration and condensation reactions. Boron trifluoride diethyl ether complex has been obtained by reacting excess diethyl ether with boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex. However, the boron trifluoride diethyl ether complex so produced contains residual dimethyl ether, and boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex.
Accordingly, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an economical process for converting the boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex to the useful boron trifluoride dialkyl ether complex.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the conversion of the boron trifluoride dimethyl ether complex to the boron trifluoride diethyl ether complex, substantially free of dimethyl ether impurities.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.